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Hoch
Deutschlands Flotte! Music
of the Imperial German Navy in Archival Recordings, 1907-1917

WE
SELL ONLY FACTORY PRESSED, QUALITY CDs!

INCLUDES
TWENTY-FIVE TRACKS! OVER SEVENTY-TWO MINUTES PLAYING TIME!

The
mighty Dreadnoughts and Battle
Cruisers
of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Navy
sail
again in this magnificent, FIRST-EVERcompilation from Brandenburg
Historica!

The
Imperial German Navy that was built during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II
[1888-1918] was, by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the second
largest naval force in the world. It was a natural outgrowth of Germany's
political unification in 1871, her economic expansion and her rise to the status
of a major world power. Conceived as a deterrent that threatened aggression
against no one, the Kaiserliche Marine of one hundred years ago embodied
the industrial prowess and technical ability of the German nation that built it,
guaranteed Germany's international prestige and prosperity, and served as the
guardian of its extensive colonial possessions in Africa, Asia and the Pacific
Ocean.

This
unique CD presents TWENTY-FIVE marches, songs, ceremonies and dramatic scenes
from the GOLDEN AGE of German sea power, with PERIOD performances by illustrious
units of the Imperial German Navy, as well as leading military- and
civilian bands, singers and choruses of Wilhelmian Germany.

Featured
here are not only some of the best-known Parademärsche and concert
marches that formed the core repertoire of the Kaiser’s “High Seas Fleet”,
but also many long-forgotten treasures of nautically-flavored German patriotic
music, including specially-commissioned pieces celebrating the First World
War-exploits of such legendary vessels as the cruiser SMS Emden, the
submarine U-9 and the raider SMS Möwe! Also presented in this
compilation are many rare (and today largely unknown) period compositions that
manage to convey an unmistakable “salty” quality that is richly redolent of
ships, sailors and the sea itself, even as they portray the unique character of
Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Navy and the spirit of its era.

Hoch
Deutschlands Flotte! is certain to appeal to military music aficionados as
well as naval enthusiasts, and among its featured selections are such gems as: a
1907 performance (complete with drill commands!) of the “Flag Parade” of the
Imperial German Navy; a super-rare 1915 recording of Hermann Löns’ Wir
fahren gegen Engelland (“We Sail Against England”), with its lyrics set
to a stirring, anthem-like score that has been overshadowed by Herms Niel’s
famous setting of that song from 1940; and a performance of the Zapfenstreich
und Gebet by the band of the Imperial Navy’s Third “Sea Battalion”
based at Tsingtao in China, the home port of the Kaiserliche Marine's powerful
East Asiatic Squadron!

Other
selections of particular rarity include: a 1912 performance of the march “Germans
to the Front”, which was written in honor of the German naval infantry who
fought under the command of a British admiral (hence the English-language title)
in the “Boxer Rebellion” of 1900; a 1915 recording of the presentation march
of the 1st Matrosen-Division at Kiel, which was composed by the
Kaiser’s own brother, Prince Heinrich of Prussia, who served as Grossadmiral
of the German fleet from 1906 to 1909; and an exciting 1916 dramatization
depicting Kapitänleutnant Otto Weddigen’s U-Boat going into action
against British cruisers in 1914!

BRANDENBURG HISTORICA has
scoured the world to assemble the priceless, ancient recordings (originally
produced between 1907 and 1917) that we have transcribed for this compilation. Though
these extremely rare early discs date from the acoustic age of recording (that
is, before the invention of electric microphones and pick-ups), they have
been laboriously restored and reengineered to maximize the considerable fidelity
already INHERENT to them WITHOUT ALTERING their historical authenticity in any
way whatsoever. These
ancient “Imperial” recordings capture a unique energy and élan that are
impossible to duplicate in modern performances, and on this album, you will hear
the ACTUAL naval- and military bands and vocalists of Imperial Germany, whose
musical talents are brought to you EXACTLY as they would have been experienced
one hundred years ago.

Hoch
Deutschlands Flotte! is
accompanied by a lavishly illustrated TWENTY-FOUR PAGE BOOKLET featuring
detailed notes on the development of the Imperial German Navy during Kaiser
Wilhelm II’s reign, its musical traditions and the background of the featured
musical selections.

Years
in the making and painstakingly researched, Hoch Deutschlands Flotte! features
the following selections:

“As
with the productions previously released [by Brandenburg Historica], the
producer has succeeded in bringing onto the market not just another CD, but
rather the documentation of an era. It portrays its epoch in exemplary
reconstructions of recordings transcribed from acoustic discs, all of which were
painstakingly assembled….The
accompanying booklet is in a class by itself, since it is not only researched in
an exemplary fashion, but is also tastefully illustrated, presenting with great
feeling and purpose just what the Imperial Navy was all about. The result is
once again a CD offering genuine rarities -- for example, the ‘Matrosenlied,’
with a text by Hermann Löns, or recordings by the Band of the Third Sea
Battalion that was stationed in Tsingtao. One has to view ‘Hoch Deutschlands
Flotte’ in the context of comparable productions released by Brandenburg Historica
and a few other labels of special quality, including JUBAL
and the Acoustic Arts Label. Without these CD’s, the documentation of German
(and international) military music in historic recordings would be the poorer,
because important areas would [otherwise] not be covered. It is to be hoped that
these special productions will be continued in the future for the benefit of all
those who take military music seriously.”

The October 2007 Issue of Defilé (Official Publication of
the International Military Music Society, Netherlands Branch) declares ...

“The
repertoire presented [here] is representative of the music of the German Navy of
the period. The source recordings were, naturally, gramophone records, upon
which expert engineering and sound restoration have had their effect. The
technical quality of the CD is outstanding throughout, as is the case with other releases from Brandenburg Historica…. [T]hese recordings are very
valuable from a historical point of view…. The text booklet of twenty-four
pages offers a wealth of very interesting information on the Imperial Navy and
its music (with a selection of previously unpublished photos), as well as a
comprehensive discussion of the recorded musical pieces. This initiative by
Brandenburg Historica is worthy of praise and this CD is strongly
recommended.”

A Reviewer in the November 2007
Issue of RVS (Newsletter of the Robert Hoe Branch of the International
Military Music Society) recommends ‘Hoch Deutschlands Flotte’ for its Sound
Quality and Scholarship ...

“Like
[Brandenburg Historica’s] other compilations, this is an excellent sounding
CD, and while the oldest recording heard here is one hundred years old, it
sounds fresh and new…. Much of the music will be new to most listeners, with
several tunes accompanied by singing…. This outstanding CD comes with the
finest inlay booklet I have ever seen. It’s large and crammed with the history
of the Imperial German Navy and explanatory notes on the music. It has many
excellent black-and-white photos and even some color illustrations. You could
say the price is worth the booklet itself. If you’re interested in the old
Imperial German Navy, whose challenge to Britain’s Royal Navy is considered
one of the reasons for World War I, you will want this CD…. It is history and
music worth owning.”

A Military Music Enthusiast from Minnesota, USA is delighted ...

“I
received the CD one week ago. I believe it meets the high standards attained by
your two previous releases and is an excellent companion to the ‘Gott, Kaiser,
Vaterland’ CD.”

A University Professor from the American Midwest says ...

“Just
a note to say how pleased I was with ‘Hoch Deutschlands Flotte.’”

An Attorney and Naval Enthusiast from New York, USA offers these
words ...

“This
album is OUTSTANDING… all of it. I especially appreciated the [notes] on the Emden
and the Königsberg, and the heroic journey of Vice Admiral von Spee’s
cruiser squadron…. For me, this is where the Kaiser’s Navy really showed its
stuff.”

TERMS
AND CONDITIONS: All Major Credit Cards accepted. All titles are generally in
stock. Music and Books may be exchanged only if defective and then
for identical items only. All orders placed
with us will receive a copy of our complete
(illustrated) catalog free of charge. Return
to the
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Please Visit our new Online
Store which features many unusual and hard to find CD's & DVD's!